St. Raymond of Penyafort
Patron Saint of Canon Lawyers
St. Raymond of Penyafort was a Dominican Friar in the thirteenth century. St. Raymond was called to Rome by Pope Gregory IX to be his confessor. He compiled the five books that were considered the most organized collection of Church law until the codification of canon law in 1917. St. Raymond spent a decade writing before he was elected the head of the Dominicans; he was the second leader of the order after St. Dominic. As leader, he worked to visit every house of friars of the growing order, until his death at 100 years old. He is the patron saint of canon lawyers.